Soldier, Politician, Organizer and Peace Activist

The son of a clergyman, Fredrik Bajer decided early in life to pursue a career as an officer. He fought in the Dano-German war in 1864, but left the forces the following year, disillusioned with military life. From then on, he devoted his life to the cause of peace. He was elected a member of the Danish national assembly, figured prominently in inter-parliamentary work, and has been given the credit for the establishment of the International Peace Bureau in 1891.

Bajer believed that organizing the forces for peace was an important means of bringing peace about. He was a strong supporter of international arbitration. Bajer was moreover a republican, and maintained vigorously that the Nordic countries ought to be neutral and conduct a joint foreign policy. Together with his wife, Mathilde Bajer, he founded the Danish Women's Society. As Fredrik Bajer saw it, work for equal rights was also work for peace.